Summer crashes to an end on a winding road. Just like that, football superstar Joel Harper finds himself rolling his wheelchair into a new school in a strange town. Soon he’s making friends of misfits, taking lessons in Iron Maiden, and trying to keep away from a ruthless bully with a penchant for switchblades. Little is he aware, something ancient and wounded has awoken deep beneath the tiny mountain community, and when it surfaces, all of Honaw will know its pain.

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Poor Things is Daniel Barnett's third novel, following Longreave and The Safe.

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Anyone who has read my reviews for a while knows that I’m a huge Daniel Barnett fan. I was thrilled to hear that his latest book, Poor Things, might fall into the YA spectrum. Barnett’s writing is pure poetry, and this one is his goriest, grittiest yet. I’d say it rests rather precariously on the young adult line, and it would certainly appeal to adult horrorphiles, because this author never pulls any punches and his hits can be brutal. Poor Things is bloody and frightening, with language not meant for virgin ears. Parents, if you think your little miracle isn’t ready for something along the lines of Steven King’s scariest tales, this isn’t their book.

For more mature teens: dive in. Poor Things is also beautiful and touching, a poignant coming of age story.

Main character Joel has it coming from the first pages, as the bullying, arrogantly jocular older brother to a wimpy, pimply, book-reading nerd. You’ll know immediately if you can’t handle Poor Things, because Joel loses everything (including that little brother) in a violent car crash before you can even blink. The change in him is swift and soul deep, and we experience this story through his new life as a crippled nobody in a tiny mining town.

This life changing event, this one tragic moment, serves to destroy and create. It’s a common theme with Barnett—tear it all down, build it all back up—and something worth pondering for any young reader, especially in those days before the brain has developed enough to understand consequences. Physically incapacitated by his broken body, Joel’s mind speeds ahead: “Adolescence is an earthquake, one that feels like it will never end while you’re living it, and eventually there comes a choice. You can crawl under your desk and hide, or you can stand up on top of that shaking desk and dance.”

He isn’t the only character I fell in love with, not by far. The heavy metal loving tomboy with a white-blonde buzzcut, Ash, is one of the strongest female supporting characters I’ve met in a long time. She’s cool, she’s smart, she’s tough, and she’s best friends with the biggest dork outcast in school. Ash is all soft underneath, and yes, though Joel is paralyzed from the waist down, there is the possibility of romance. It’s hard to say who is the hero of Poor Things, because throughout most of the book, Ash saves Joel’s derriere again and again. Without her, he could never have…sniff…well, you’ll cry at the end, too.

The town of Honaw itself has enough personality to be thought of as another character--an odd and mildly disturbing one from the beginning. Or, rather, the thing which lies beneath Honaw engineers that creep factor. Okay, that’s it! I can’t say any more or I’ll give it away. Yet, bells and whistles aside, this is a classic monster tale. No monster I’ve ever imagined, however. Only Daniel Barnett could imagine such a strange, sad, dangerous beast from the depths of time, and only this guy could make me love that thing by the end.

Poor Things rings with some echoes to Stephen King's It, but unlike some works ring with such echoes of great works, this story doesn't get drowned out by the comparison. Broad strokes of the plot, a band of misfits who face an ancient evil from under the ground and come of age while doing so, surely parallel It. Poor Things, however, is not just a copy of that story. This book stands on its own as good horror.

There is a dark bleakness to this tale, but also spots of humor, light, and growth. Barnett does a good job in crafting characters who you can love and hate and putting them into situations both real and frightfully fantastic.

The structure of the work was a little hard to follow at times, but that is an artifact of the story being told almost stream of conscience-style from the point of view of one of our main character, Joel. This same structure really gives the story depth and flavor, so it's a good trade-off if you're willing to put a little bit of work into your reading.

Daniel Barnett has written a powerful book, which speaks, metaphorically, to the deep pain we have inflicted on Mother Earth in our greed to have ever-deeper stashes of fossil fuels to exploit. But you don't have to read with that insight--it will come to you, as the unbidden and unexpected tears sprang into my eyes at the end of this excellent book. Written from the perspective of a 16 year old paraplegic, this book grabs you. From the first lines of story, which begins in such innocence, you will be drawn along as an unlikely quartet of mismatched teens dive into hard rock, experience the norms of high school life, and then, without warning they are cast into an apocalypse of epic proportions. This isn't really a zombie book, though there are elements of classic zombie books and movies (and TV shows). It isn't a splatter-gore book, though it contains plenty of gore. Joel, Ash, Nip, and another kid who will surprise you are worthy heros in their world. There are possibilities for improvement, mostly in backstory potential and character development. And we don't get the whole picture of why Joel and his family were heading to "Aunt Santy's house. But all that fades with the strength of the story and its protagonists. Read this book, it is unforgettable! Bravo, Daniel! Looking forward to new stories from your pen!

I bought the hard copy as I prefer a physical book, and it was worth it! It started off a little hard but as the story progressed it grew so much, a quarter into the book I realized I couldn't put it down. Every page was filled with an incredible amount of description to the point where it felt I could see them. By the time I reached the second act my heart was there for the characters, I hurt with them, I could see the blood, I could hear the moans. Something that the author DOMINATES is his use of description bringing you into this incredibly broken world alongside broken children trying to survive. I was honestly upset to have reached the end, I wanted more, I wanted to keep going, to see what happened. Joel is NOT perfect in any way shape or form, which is uncommon for a main character, but you are left to care about him even despite his frustrating self. I loved this book so much and will definitely read it again! This isn't a group of misfits who become the best of friends and ride off into the sunset kind of story, it's dark and gritty, and will leave you breathless until the next thing hits. I can definitely see this becoming a TV series or a movie in the future.My advice is give it a chance!